Wilfredo Barrios – Life Without Parole

Name: Wilfredo Barrios #: 21080-112DOB: 4/16/63Age: 55Race: HispanicRaised: in Guatemala until he was 18 years old when he arrived in the United StatesTried: went to trial in the Southern District of IndianaWill live: Inglewood, CA.Children: Three children; Christopher Barrios, Lisa Tovar, Brenda BarriosHealth Status: Good; chronic careSentence: LIFEDate Sentence Started: 9/3/2003Years Served: 15 yearsRelease Date: NONECharge(s): 21 USC 848 (a) (b) Conspiracy to distribute meth.Criminal Conviction: Continuing series of conspiracies and violations to deliver meth to dealers.Priors: Nonviolent charges including receiving stolen property and grand theft autoPrison Conduct: VIOLATION FREEClemency Application: Denied by President Obama on August 8, 2016Supporters: Family members and many friends. Support letters have been submitted to OPA, CAN-DO communityInstitution:
FCI GREENVILLE
P. O. BOX 5000
GREENVILLE, IL 62246Prison Accomplishments: I teach several art classes regularly with the Recreational Department in prison. I made a personal commitment, even though I was sentenced to LIFE, to pursue my personal development while incarcerated to become the best man that I can be. I am happy to report that I have made significant personal progress toward my goals and have changed my way of thinking to look at choices much differently than I did before and to pursue opportunities for my betterment. Update 6/12/18: I have organized and led teams of painters and have been personally responsible for painting many murals on the drab prison walls to make them more inviting and cheerful.

With Step-daughter Lisa, and granddaughter

Courses Completed: I am a self-taught artist. I have completed educational courses like learning how to operate computer software, resume writing and job interview skills. I have also completed special interest courses like health and wellness, law library orientation, typing, study of painting, basic Spanish and stock market operation. Update 6/12/18: Recent courses included restaurant business operations, and airbrush painting.

According to Wildredo: I engaged as the supervisor in a continuing criminal enterprise involving at least 15 kg of methamphetamine in each instance, along with 5 other accomplices. These felony transactions involved transporting up to 20 pounds of methamphetamine from CA to TN and also the use of a communication facility to conduct business.

Compelling Reason You Should Receive Clemency:
First and foremost, I am not the same person I was prior to this incarceration and the Compelling Reasons I seek clemency are due to those changes. My Past does not equal my Future! These words mean so much to me. I am serving a Life sentence and with that my life is lost to “walk as a free man.” I have always been a man of faith and raised my children in that manner. Faith has guided me down the path of Remorse. I wake up every day knowing that I will never walk out of these doors that confine me. I have truly accepted total responsibility for all of my actions and the past can never be changed. The only change that can happen is a change in myself and in my being.

Update 6/12/18: My crime was a nonviolent one and because I was convicted of the conspiracy charge, I received a mandatory minimum sentence that determined that I received a Life sentence without any opportunity for points reductions.I do not think that my crime warranted this long of a sentence. I went to trial and refused to take the government’s offer because it would have involved “snitching” which I refused to do. My sentence reflects the commonly known “trial penalty sentencing”

Wilfredo with his wife, Reyna standing in front of a mural Wildredo painted

I asked myself many times, can I overcome this incarceration, can I survive knowing I will never be “Free” again and can I handle the separation from my wife, children and family? When the court issued its order “life imprisonment without parole” my world as I knew it went “silent” and everything went into slow motion and black and white; the color of my life was gone. My life became like a silent movie and I was the villain.

With this incarceration I had to learn “Acceptance and Change” – the two words that I must learn to overcome this incarceration. I needed to turn a “negative” into a “positive” and strive to become a better person, personally and spiritually. I woke up one morning and started this crusade to overcome this incarceration and the inner feelings that came with this incarceration. My sentence of “Life” did not prevent me from bettering myself mentally and physically. So I applied myself in educational courses, psychology, computer programming. But more importantly I started to give back to my community with my art work and talent in painting. I have also started teaching other inmates painting, drawing and have developed a course solely for that purpose. What I found as troubling when I started signing up for educational classes and other programming was that I was told because I was serving Life, other inmates were in front of me that I had to outdate. But officials saw my passion to improve myself and I was eventually placed in many programs that normally are only for inmates with outdates.

I have many reasons why I am respectfully requesting clemency, but there is only one primary reason – my wife, my children and my family. I ask for a second chance for my life.

Future Plans: I will return home to live with my loving wife, Reyna. I will seek employment in the restaurant industry and/or in an auto body repair shop. I also plan to open an art studio.

With his parents

I look forward to giving back to my community to talk to children about their choices in life. I want to get to know my grandchildren, some of whom I have not met yet.